Commissioner for Kangaroo Island Wendy Campana together with Mayor Peter Clements have welcomed the announcement of the success of their joint funding application to the Federal Government’s Building Better Regions fund.

The grant for $155,300 has been awarded to the Kangaroo Island Council, and they will work with the Commissioner’s office to deliver the Growth Project alongside the Commissioner’s Transformation Project which is already working with business sectors across the Island.

The Building Better Regions grant will be used to:

* increase local business knowledge, capability and ‘business readiness’ for growth;

My Office has been instrumental in considering local housing and workforce planning, given the number of developments nearing commencement.

Wendy Perry from Workforce Blueprint was engaged to prepare a Workforce Plan and she has met with businesses, community organisations and agencies to discuss issues related to recruitment, retention and development of staff. The Department of State Development is working with us and a report will be subject to consultation in October.

Following a survey and workshop conducted earlier this year with KI's visual arts community, the Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island has been working with the KI Arts Committee to develop an 'Action Plan'. This draft Plan sets out the priorities that have been identified by the visual arts community, through previous engagement.

Kangaroo Island’s outstanding products and experiences were showcased last night at the annualFood, Wine and Tourism Awards at Dudley Cellar Door. Guests enjoyed an exquisite menu preparedby Chef Marion Trethewey of St Austell Farm featuring authentic local produce, which wasaccompanied by a wide range of local beer, wine, and spirits.

The State’s key decision makers visited Kangaroo Island last weekend, for Country Cabinet.

We welcomed the Premier, Cabinet Ministers and Chief Executives of State Government Departments to the island, in order for them to hear from our community about the issues that are important to them. Several public events were included, and the Cabinet members also met with residents and visited various sites on Kangaroo Island.

April Fools! Rundle Mall land swap deal a hoax - Lindes Lane has been returned to the Adelaide City Council at midday today.

This morning Lord Mayor Martin Haese, with Kangaroo Island Council Mayor, Peter Clements, announced that Lindes Lane in Rundle Mall to be renamed ’Kangaroo Lane’ as part of a land swap deal for an April Fools joke. See the joke here.

The Quiz night/fundraiser to aid the Year 7 students was held last week at the Ozone Hotel, and the night provided much more than anyone imagined.

For a start, 75 people attended, which was great, and everyone had come to win. Amid much noise and laughter, quiz-master Wendy Campana tried to keep order ... and with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon. Tony Smith present, there was much encouragement from the side-lines, with "Order, Order, Order" being the ‘order’ of the day.

During the night, Wendy kept a semblance of order, moving on to auction items, raffles and table prizes, and the community really showed its support, with the night raising more than $4,500, including $500 each committed by Rebekha Sharkie MP, KI Council and the Commissioner’s office.

Come along and join in the fun at a Quiz Night/Fundraiser to help Kangaroo Island Community Education (KICE) to send a group of Year 7 students to Canberra to experience our nation’s capital.

Mayor Peter Clements along with Commissioner Wendy Campana will be quiz masters, and they will host the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honourable Tony Smith and local Federal MP Rebekha Sharkie, who will both be joining in the fun on the night.

You can expect lots of hilarity and games – with surprises, donated auction items, raffles and much more.

Show your support for the Year 7s in their bid to join other Australian students in Canberra to see how it all works.

"Helping our young students to understand the workings of Federal Parliament as part of their Civics Education will hold them in good stead when they reach voting age," Wendy Campana said.

The Quiz Night is on Wednesday March 15 2017 from 6.30pm at the Aurora Ozone Hotel. $40 per person, with great food platters for each table.

Among the sponsors are the Aurora Ozone Hotel, Kangaroo Island Council and the Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island.

The Commissioner for Kangaroo Island, Wendy Campana, as part of the Kangaroo Island Transformation Project, is pleased to announce the launch of the Kangaroo Island Arts Survey.

Supporting a range of industry sectors on the island, the Commissioner is keen to better identify the nature, size and key issues of the visual arts community on KI. This survey will help identify opportunities to assist the island's arts industry and individual artists.

In partnership with the Kangaroo Island Council and the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, the Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island is seeking to better understand Kangaroo Island’s transport needs for tourists and residents.

You are invited to complete the Kangaroo Island Transport Survey which will be used to identify the transport needs of those living on the island by looking at the current transport usage for employment, education, recreation and day to day activities. This survey also seeks to determine the future demand for transport - the type and frequency of use.

The Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island (OCKI) is currently undertaking research on the housing needs of the community. We need your help to better understand the demand for housing - types, locations, and size. You are invited to complete the:

A plan to provide a framework for current and future housing needs on Kangaroo Island was recently finalised by the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island, Wendy Campana. The Management Plan for Housing on Kangaroo Island was noted by Cabinet in December 2016.

The Registration of Interest (ROI) process for the sale and future redevelopment of the Kingscote Wharf Precinct has concluded. The ROI process extended over a ten week period commencing on 5 July 2016, and closed on 12 September 2016. ROI’s were sought from the open market by Savills as the marketing land agent, and the process procured a number of submissions. All persons who made a submission have been contacted and advised of the outcome of the ROI process.

With the impending redevelopment of the Kangaroo Island Airport, together with a range of other projects and initiatives in the pipeline, the Kingscote Wharf precinct will continue to remain on the open market to leverage any ongoing and enhanced investor interest in the Island. Interested persons are encouraged to contact the land agent. For a confidential conversation, please contact Steve Bobridge at Savills Australia on 8237 5015 or 0418835525, or by email to SBobridge@savills.com.au.

Where proponents are existing tenants on the Wharf, current agreements will remain in place. Any new proposals for short term access and use of land in the Wharf Precinct should be directed to the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure - Property Directorate. Please contact Maria Kollar on 8204 1228 or 0427 936 971, or by email to Maria.Kollar@sa.gov.au.

Earlier this year, the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island Wendy Campana, identified the need for a Management Plan for Housing on KI, to address the current and future housing needs on the island.

A university under-graduate, Reece Svetec, has been engaged to work on this project, for a period of 12 weeks. Reece will work with key stakeholders on KI and in Adelaide to prepare a report on affordable housing, with the goal of delivering recommendations on what measures need to be taken to increase/improve housing affordability on the island. Reece has completed his third year of a four year Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Hons.) at the University of South Australia.

You are invited to hear from SA Power Networks on the Draft Project Assessment Report (DPAR) that summarises a variety of options for Kangaroo Island’s energy supply given the limited design life of the current undersea cable.

Monday 5 December, 7.00pm – 8:30pm

Kangaroo Island Council Chambers43 Dauncey Street, Kingscote

Consultation is currently underway on the draft report, which is available from the SA Power Networks website www.sapowernetworks.com.au. The consultation period concludes on Wednesday 14 December with the final report published at the end of December.

The Commissioner for Kangaroo Island, Ms Wendy Campana, has
established a group of advisors to consider economic growth on the island and
they met for the first time recently.

This Local Advisory
Board for Economic Growth on Kangaroo Island will provide advice to the
Commissioner on matters relating to economic development in areas such as
tourism, agriculture, food and beverages and education. The Board will look at
opportunities to improve the local economy while having regard to the social
and environmental aspects of the island’s development.

The Sturt Street Cellars at the Kings Head Hotel was the venue and several Kangaroo Island beverage producers attended to promote their offerings to interested licensed premises, especially invited to the event.

The event is part of the wider Transformation Project being rolled out by the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island Ms Wendy Campana and on this occasion, the Hon Leon Bignell MP, Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Tourism was on hand to launch the proceedings.

The project to upgrade the Kangaroo Island Airport has been a long time coming, but it is now on track to be delivered before the end of 2017.

This project promises to provide exciting and potentially valuable opportunities for local business operators, and over recent months, the Airport Upgrade Pilot program has worked to assist local businesses to be ready for the tender process to carry out construction works on the new airport extension.

Recently, a group of KI beverage producers joined with
the Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island and the Kangaroo Island Food
& Wine Association to showcase their products to island hoteliers,
restaurateurs and accommodation providers.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill today officially launched the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, after spending the past few days walking the Trail with his family.

The $5.8 million Trail was a State Government commitment at the last election, designed to strengthen Kangaroo Island’s reputation as an international tourist destination.

Kangaroo Island is a landscape of national significance, sometimes referred to as ‘Australia’s Galapagos’ with spectacular coastal views, unspoilt habitat, and abundant wildlife and flora.

Hundreds have already booked for the five-day, four-night adventure which stretches for 61 kilometres along the south-west coast of the Island through Flinders Chase National Park.

The trail has also been mapped by Google and is available on Google Street View, so that anyone around the world who can’t visit South Australia can still marvel at the natural wonders and fauna of Kangaroo Island.

The Department of State Development (DSD) through the Jobs First
Employment Projects (JFEP) program is working in partnership with the Office of
the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island to assist businesses engaged in the
Kangaroo Island Transformation project.

The Work
Force Development Project seeks to facilitate the engagement of employees for
developments on the Island by providing a single point of contact for job
seeker referral agencies and developers. The successful proponent will identify
the work force needs arising from developments, work with agencies to support
job seeker engagement, and report to DSD on skills development needs.

Applications are currently being sought for an eligible provider to undertake this
project. For more information on the project and application process click here. Applications close on 14 October
2017.

In a recent visit
to Kangaroo Island, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and
Mitsubishi Motors Australia (MMAL) officially extended
their support to
Kangaroo Island Council to help raise awareness about the benefits of
electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in
hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) use on the Island.

On Wednesday 16 August, the Chairman of the Board and President of Mitsubishi, Mr Osamu Masuko and the Managing Director & CEO of Mitsubishi Australia, Mr Mutsuhiro Oshikiri visited Kangaroo Island. Mitsubishi have confirmed it will work with the South Australian Government to increase the use of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) electric vehicles from Mitsubishi's current and future vehicle range in the government fleet.

Mr Oshikiri and Mr Masuko were hosted by the CEO of the Kangaroo Island Council, Mr Andrew Boardman and the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island Ms Wendy Campana. Mr Tsubonuma and Mr Masuko were shown the fleet of PHEV vehicles used by the Kangaroo Island Council and the network of charge points.

Last week the Kangaroo Island Council clarified information regarding impacts on service delivery during the Kangaroo Island Airport Upgrade. Read more in the Kangaroo Island Council's Media Release (PDF, 101 KB)

An Information Session for the Transformation Project will be held on Wednesday 27 July 2016, 2.00 - 5.00pm. Businesses or start-ups interested in growing their business over the next 3-5 years are encouraged to attend this free session. The Transformation Project will deliver support services, through a training and mentoring program to businesses in 5 key industry groups:

Agriculture and Food Production

Construction

Hospitality and Tourism

Retail and Services

Transport and Logistics

Find out more about the Industry Project Managers for the Transformation Project here (PDF, 736 KB).

The beverages project will help transform the Island's beverage industry and explore opportunities to improve the promotion and expansion of their products. In anticipation of increased economic activity on the Island and tourist visitation, this project will seek to meet an anticipated increased demand for local beverages on the Island and Adelaide.

On Tuesday 14 June, the Deputy Premier, the Hon. John Rau MP, with the Commissioner for Kangaroo
Island, Ms Wendy Campana, met with over 100 Islanders to brief them on the activities of the
Commissioner and announce a range of key initiatives.

Almost 100 guests enjoyed a four-course fine dining experience, curated by Head Chef Andy Waterhouse, and medal-winning wines to witness the re-birth of the awards, first held in 2009.

The Commissioner for Kangaroo Island would like to offer her congratulations to all entrants in the prize and the winners of each award category.

The awards were hosted by the Kangaroo Island Food and Wine Association, supported by the Government of South Australia (PIRSA), and sponsored by Tourism Kangaroo Island, Tourism Optimisation Management Model (TOMM), Sealink, Kangaroo Island Industry and Brand Alliance, the Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island, and the Department of State Development.

The Commissioner for Kangaroo Island is responsible for assisting in the economic development of Kangaroo Island and has developed a Kangaroo Island Economic Development Outlook to highlight the many economic opportunities that the Island offers. It details a number of proposed and approved projects some of which present investment opportunities.

The Kangaroo Island Economic Development Outlook was developed in partnership with the Kangaroo Island Council, Kangaroo Island’s key industry associations and the Government of South Australia.

The Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island has launched its Strategic Priorities for 2016/2017. This document sets out the key areas of activity for the Commissioner's Office to carry out her responsibilities as set out in the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island Act 2014.

The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) propose to undertake a Registration of Interest process over the balance of the land on the Kingscote Wharf vested to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Hon. Stephen Mullighan MP.

This Registration of Interest is a call for submissions from willing investors, for proposals to acquire land in the Wharf Precinct for redevelopment. The Registration of Interest will be released in the week commencing 27 June 2016 and will remain open for ten weeks.

The functions of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island set out in the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island Act 2014(the Act), include improving the management and delivery of services and infrastructure by government agencies, to provide assistance to businesses and residents dealing with government agencies, and to assist in improving the local economy of Kangaroo Island.

In carrying out these functions, the Commissioner may prepare management plans under Part 4 of the Act. The Commissioner has identified a need to improve the provision of housing infrastructure and associated services to meet the complex needs of Kangaroo Island through a Management Plan.

In September last year, the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, the Hon Ian Hunter MLC announced that a proposal from Bickfords Australia, to develop a visitor and function centre, microbrewery and distillery at Kingscote Wharf, would be assessed under the State Government’s Unsolicited Proposal framework.

As the proposed site is on Crown Land currently dedicated to the KI Council, and incorporates the former Kingscote Police Station and Gaol Cells, the KI Council has now begun consultation on behalf of the government to process the proposal. This consultation process will conclude on 1 July 2016.

Bickfords Australia will also be hosting two public open-day events at Kingscote on 20-21 June 2016.

More information about the proposal and consultation process is available here or on the Kangaroo Island Council's website.

The Commissioner for Kangaroo Island Act
places responsibility on the Commissioner to assist in the economic development
of the Island. Central to assisting in
economic development, is the need to promote Kangaroo Island.

The Office of the
Commissioner for Kangaroo Island is seeking to engage the services of a
contractor, preferably based on the Island, to provide advice and support in
media, public relations and marketing to promote the Island, businesses,
products and experiences.

Services will be retained for up to 15 hours (2 days) per
week for a period of 12 months, subject to review.

Please email proposals for the provision of services by close of business, Friday 17 June to KICommissioner@sa.gov.au. Proposals should outline the service provider's knowledge and experience relevant in meeting the essential requirements set out in the Services Statement (PDF, 372 KB).

For enquiries please
call the Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island on (08) 8553 4525 or
email KICommissioner@sa.gov.au.

You are invited to join the
Hon John Rau MP and Commissioner for Kangaroo Island, Wendy Campana at a
Community Information Session on Tuesday 14 June at 6.30pm.

The event will include an
update on the work of the Commissioner for the past 12 months and an overview
of the Commissioner’s strategic priorities for 2016/2017. There will be several
key announcements on the night including the appointment of the Local Advisory
Board for Housing, and a presentation by Associate Professor Michael O’Neil
from the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies.

The Commissioner for Kangaroo Island intends to establish a Local Advisory Board to provide advice on matters relating to housing infrastructure and associated services on Kangaroo Island pursuant to Part 3 of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island Act 2014. Nominations are currently being sought for up to two positions on the Local Advisory Board for Housing on Kangaroo Island for members of the public with relevant knowledge, experience, or qualifications. For more information on this Local Advisory Board click here.

A group of Island businesses attended a two day workshop run by TAFE SA as part of the Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island's Transformation Project. View the Media Release for more information.

A number of
major civil infrastructure developments are soon to commence on Kangaroo Island
including an upgrade to the Kangaroo Island Airport. Those interested in
employment opportunities in the civil construction sector are invited to attend
an information session being presented by TAFE SA on Wednesday 20 April. More details here.

On the 16th and 17th of February the Office of the
Commissioner for Kangaroo Island presented a workshop for representatives from
sports and recreation clubs and associations followed by a forum for Medical
and Health Service agencies. See the Media Release (PDF, 595 KB) for further details.

A development authorisation has been granted for an international golf course and resort on Kangaroo Island's south east coast. This $30 million investment is expected to provide up to 50 ongoing jobs for the region. See Deputy Premier John Rau's News Release on the development here (PDF, 76 KB).

View the South Australian film as part of Tourism Australia's new 'There's nothing like Australia' Aquatic and Coastal campaign. Find out more about this campaign in The Islander'sarticle KI on World Stage.

Over 100 people attended the Business Support Services Information
Session held on Wednesday 20 January at the Acacia Apartments in Kingscote, which outlined opportunities for businesses to be involved in major developments on the Island, with a focus on the Kingscote Airport upgrade.

The meeting was jointly presented by the Office of the
Commissioner for Kangaroo Island and the Kangaroo Island Industry and Brand
Alliance (KIIBA), who have been commissioned to undertake the delivery of
business and employment support services with consultants, Claire Ellis and Sue
Arlidge.

This project is targeting those interested in securing contracts,
sub-contracts and employment through major developments on the Island as well
as associated businesses.

The Commissioner for Kangaroo Island has
commissioned a project to ensure business readiness for the $171
million worth of proposed developments on Kangaroo Island. This project
was awarded to the Kangaroo Island Industry and Brand Alliance who will
commence first look at the airport upgrade and the
opportunities to work with local business in the provision of trades
and services. An information session will be held on 20 January 2016.

In the lead up to the preparation of the report
sought by Minister Brock on the Regional Impact Assessment Statement (RIAS) on
Sanctuary Zones the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island, Wendy Campana discusses the
importance of representing the views of the Kangaroo Island fishing community
and industries.

In
the lead up to the preparation of the report sought by Minister Brock on the
Regional Impact Assessment Statement (RIAS) on Sanctuary Zones the Commissioner
for Kangaroo Island, Wendy Campana discusses the importance of representing the
views of the Kangaroo Island fishing community and industries.

On 1 October 2015, the
Kangaroo Island Energy Focus Group met for the first time. This media release
identifies the proposed members of the focus group, and sets out the terms of
reference for their engagement with the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island.

The
proposed development at American River is set to employ up to 100 staff
throughout the resort. The development, which includes a proposed golf course
is being developed by City & Central Consulting Pty Ltd and would include a
range of new services to the local community.